Thursday 30 September 2010

DANGEROUS RUBBISH

As you know COVEN has been campaigning hard over the last couple of years to force someone to take responsibility for the state of dereliction the Old York Road Library has been allowed to fall into.


The Library besides being almost totally destroyed inside, having its roof removed and the fabric being allowed to decay dangerously, has also become the focus for anti social behaviour, the building itself being regularly broken into and, from the drug paraphernalia strewn around, a haven for local drug addicts.


In the latest act of criminality the derelict land behind the building has become a site for fly tipping. Dangerous and unsightly piles of rubbish and abandoned furniture have been dumped behind the building which, together with the overgrown bushes and heavy vegetation around the building itself, is causing a serious fire hazard.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/coven-covell/sets/72157625064891292/show/


The manhole covers have also been stolen leaving very dangerous open holes in an area where children are attending both local school and, when it is open, the library. The risk of serious injury is obvious especially since nights are drawing in. This area is a magnet for graffiti and vandalism.

COVEN have passed these pictures and details of the address from which the rubbish is believed to have come from to the police and council officials as well as the Councillors for this ward.


The apparent abandonment of this building and surrounding area is promoting crime and anti social behaviour and now, more than ever, it is posing a genuine threat of physical harm to local people, especially children. The costs of repeatedly securing the building, the costs of this and previous clean ups are increasing year by year and they fall on the Council Tax payers of Leeds. It is time that substantial and effective action is taken against the building owner to make the building safe, to see that it is properly patrolled and to start the process of bringing the building back into use, as the only way of ensure that this situation is resolved long term.

Monday 20 September 2010

Hello Everybody

This is a Blog for the people of Richmond Hill to find out what is going on in their area. If you have any news or events you want to promote just drop us a line and we will do our best to include them on the Blog, our email address is ls94ever@gmail.com

Work has now started on the Raincliffe Road Recreation Ground (known locally as the 'Red Rec', though you have to be fairly old to remember when it was actually red). It is to be an informal play area with new perimeter fencing and should be a real asset to our area.

Many of you know that COVEN is heavily involved in a local campaign trying to save the Old York Road Library and we are lobbying the local MP, councillors and the Civic Trust to save and if possible restore this unique building. It would make an outstanding Community Space in an area where there is nothing like it. Take a look at the pictures - yes we know we really do have our work cut out.



COVEN is also involved with the NO2Incinerator campaign to stop the building of one and possibly two incinerators in the lower Aire Valley close to some homes in our area and you can follow that campaign at no2incinerator.blogspot.com.

We intend to work hard to bring the area back to what it once was, a proud working class area of family homes where good people built up a community, where their children went to school and they worked to hard and were proud to say they came from East End Park, Cross Green, Richmond Hill, Saxton Gardens or Osmondthorpe.

We have in East End Park a wonderful Victorian Park, a truly green jewel in an urban setting. Friends of East End Park are a group of local residents who are doing their best to see that the park is kept up, improved and well used by local residents. You can catch up with their plans for the coming year at their Blog friendsofeastendpark.blogspot.com. This group is looking for new members, young blood to carry on the good work, if you are interested in joining them you can contact them via the Blog or drop us an email and we will pass on your details to them.